t dated July 11, 1876, thus
writes:--

"Efforts made by wealthy native Christians and Europeans to employ
capital in agriculture have been invariably met by great obstacles,
the apparent impossibility of getting _incontestable title-deeds_
being one of the many, although such documents may have emanated
from the highest authority in the land. Actions of ejectment have
invariably followed such efforts, to which the fact of the
Government itself being often the seller opposed no bar."

The same Vice-Consul, writing from Damascus, under date March 13, 1880,
referring to the difficulty of investing capital in agricultural
enterprise, says:--

"Unfortunately, the present judicial system is of a nature to
permit, if not to foster, the thousand and one intrigues and
vexations which seem to be almost inseparably connected with the
possession of land in Syria, and additional facilities for such are
to be found, if wanting, in the state in which the land registry
offices are kept. Erasures, irregular entries, at the request of
the interested, change of one name for another as the legitimate
owner, resulting often in persons finding their names down in the
Government books as owners of property, the existence of which was
unknown to them, and _vice versa_, cause the validity of
title-deeds, issued as they are by various courts in the country,
to be a fertile source of litigation, and fraudulent action.... The
fact, however, that title-deeds can be set aside by verbal
testimony perhaps sufficiently accounts for the little value they
practically possess."

I could cite many instances in illustration of Mr. Jago's statements. An
effort made by the Rev. E. B. Frankel, of Damascus, to secure the
title-deeds of a worthless piece of barren rock without resorting to the
degrading practices of the country, is interesting, not only as an
illustration in point, but also as showing that an honest man would
suffer loss rather than gain his point by questionable means. I was
privy to the transactions as they occurred, but as Mr. Frankel has
kindly furnished me with a brief history, I shall give it in his own
words:--

"During my residence in Damascus, I tried one or two villages in
the neighbourhood as a summer retreat, and at length fixed upon a
village called Maraba, as being at a convenient distance from the